Ian Halsall Q&A

Your name: 
Ian Halsall.

Where are you from? 
Born in North West England but lived in London all my adult life.

Name of band: 
Formerly Keeping The Faith and Musical Science but I recently dropped these names in favour of my real name.

Who else is in your band?
Just my evil twin.

How would you describe yourself? 
Bass music producer from London.

Who are your main influences musically? 
Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Tomita, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, New Order, The Smiths, The Verve, Radiohead, Andy Weatherall, Derrick May.

What do you hope to achieve in music? 
Originality & emotion, sad & happy - that kind of thing - I want to make you dance and cry - at the same time.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why? 
Not sure it has happened yet.

And what’s the moment you want to forget? 
Someone direct messaged me on twitter a few weeks ago - a fairly famous singer (X) asking if I could do a dubstep mix for singer X. I said I didn't know who/what X was - he said - "I am X". I didn't get the remix - haha.

If you had to pick just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why? 
"Feel It" - it's dark and happy, a struggle between darkness and happiness which leads to a triumphant climax.

Where can we listen to it?
https://soundcloud.com/ian_halsall/feel-it-2

Where can we find out more about your music?

https://www.facebook.com/keepingthefaith.music
https://twitter.com/ianhalsall
http://www.youtube.com/user/halsallian1/videos
http://www.beatport.com/artist/keeping-the-faith/335182
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/artist/keeping-the-faith/id647942944
You can find information about my record label "IDGAF Media Group" here
https://plus.google.com/u/1/+ianhalsall-idgaf-media-group/posts

Anything else you’d like to say about your band/music that I forgot to ask?

I recently created a record label "IDGAF Media Group" which I am releasing other bass music producer's tracks on as well as my own.
I have a release from @2amspecial https://soundcloud.com/2amspecial/sets/spacepornep on 21st Feb and upcoming from @Burning_Forest  too.

Spruke Q&A

Your name:
Bill Boulden.

Where are you from?
Buffalo, New York, USA.

Name of band:

Spruke is my name and my main act.

How would you describe yourself?

Spruke is bright, shiny synthpop with light influences of dubstep, chiptunes, 8-bit music, video game music, and industrial. The feel is drowning in lush, warm synths even as the lyrics on top of that are introspective and depressive. There's also definitely a bit of "geek chic" running throughout; there are easter eggs for nerds and gamers hidden invisibly in the lyrics of almost every song.

Who are your main influences musically?

I'm probably most musically influenced by Nine Inch Nails, although I'm far less harsh; vocally & lyrically I am frequently told I am reminiscent of Depeche Mode and the Faint.

What do you hope to achieve in music?

The songs have ever been there as my main hobby, no matter what, and all I've really ever wanted is for them to be heard. I've always been writing melodies, lyrics, beats, since I was a child. I did it back when nobody ever heard them but me and I'm still doing it today, and the only difference today is that when I write a track, ten thousand people can hear it before I go to bed. If anything that just makes me write more, and harder. You know, with authors, you get these... I
mean, Snooki has a book, right? Ghostwritten? And you know that it would not exist if there were not people who would want to read it. Nobody would bother to write something that they think nobody will ever read. But then there's, you know, there's Emily Dickinson, made the beautiful poetry never expecting another soul to set eyes on it, just for herself... I make it today the same as I ever have. It would be there whether the listeners are or not. But all I really wanted is for it to be heard so it gives extra meaning to this thing I'm going to be spending my whole life doing anyway.
Fame and fortune can suck it. I need enough fame that a few dozen people can write me back and warm my heart and say, man, Spruke, that last song really spoke to me and changed how I thought, and enough fortune that I can eat. The rest can take a hike.

What has been the highlight of your career so far, and why?

Probably watching as the "iconic" Spruke song, "Eighty Above or Twenty Below", unlocked all kinds of significant achievements for being an important song in listeners' lives. People have written me telling me that they'e used that song for graduations, funerals, birthdays, dissertations, everything. I couldn't give a shit for "the highlight of my career" being such-or-other show or thing I did or I got to experience. It's about when I hear how I'm influencing the lives of the others.

And what’s the moment you want to forget?

Once, I acted like a hater. Never again!

If you had to choose just one of your songs to represent your music, what would it be and why?

"Bad News" is a three-part track that represents everything Spruke is capable of doing; it's like every kind of song I can write all rolled into one. Orchestral, synth-heavy, rock elements, industrial, dubstep, signature Spruke-style vocals, it's all in there. It's even got Laura Grace in it!

Where can we listen to it?

https://soundcloud.com/spruke/bad-news-pts-i-ii-iii-feat

Where can we find out more about your music?

twitter.com/spruke
facebook.com/spruke
soundcloud.com/spruke
youtube.com/spruke

Anything else you’d like to say about your band that I forgot to ask?

As Spruke, I also do a podcast every week- one hour of DJ-style, through-mixed, smooth flowing electro house. It's called Bump In The Night and it's arrived every Monday morning rain or shine for half a year now. It's hosted by the good people at MTGCast, check it out!

A collaboration 12,000 miles in the making

MUSIC can be a great connector even if two parties are 12,000 miles apart.

Having ditched the idea of being in a band and going solo, New Zealand's Brodie Lumsden has steadily carved out a position as an up-and-coming dubstep producer under the moniker Lumpsum, gaining notoriety with a series of remixes.

This newly found success saw electronic music sideline a career of singer/songwriting temporarily to pursue the new role of DJ/producer.

Some eight months ago, he was contacted out the blue to Maya Wolff - originally from a tiny town in Germany but now living in Canterbury, England.

The talented singer was keen to collaborate on a track, the only problem being the distance from the town in south east England to Christchurch, NZ.

Brodie said: "I was as keen as ever to work with someone overseas. We used every resource at our disposal."

The result was Trusting You, an electronic, dubstep, breaks fusion, which you can have a listen to below.